At the Paris Airshow on Wednesday, Embraer signed a significant agreement with SkyWest Airlines for an additional order of 60 E175 aircraft, with purchase rights for 50 more. Deliveries will begin in 2027. SkyWest, the largest regional airline in the United States, operates flights on behalf of Delta, American, United, and Alaska Airlines.
Although the Embraer 175 is an older model from a previous generation, it remains highly popular in the U.S. due to its compliance with Scope Clauses. These are agreements with pilot unions that allow regional airline pilots flying under these clauses to be paid less than mainline pilots. The intended successor, the E175-E2, does not meet these criteria.
SkyWest already operates 263 Embraer 175s, making it the world’s largest operator of this aircraft type. The airline owns more than 500 aircraft in total, with the rest of the fleet made up of Bombardier CRJs.
“We’re excited to continue our long-standing partnership with SkyWest Airlines through this major order,” said Arjan Meijer, the Dutch president and CEO of Embraer’s commercial aviation division. “The E175 is the backbone of regional aviation in North America, and this order highlights SkyWest’s confidence in the aircraft’s performance, reliability, and passenger comfort.”
This major SkyWest order is a boost for Embraer after it lost a competition earlier this week to replace LOT Polish Airlines’ regional fleet. The Polish carrier chose to replace most of its Embraer aircraft with Airbus A220s
